Use of Social Media

The internet is a great way of discovering the world and to share with friends and family. The way we communicate with one another has been revolutionised over the past years but we have also allowed greater risks to our children's safety.

How good are you at keeping your children safe online? Do you know what they are getting up to on devices such as tablets and mobile phones?

We have recently been told about a number of incidents where children of our school have posted inappropriate material onto various sites. Is this your child? Do you know what sites your child is using on a regular basis? Do you know how appropriate these sites are for them? Are you aware of the risks to their safety by using these apps and sites?

We follow guidance from our E-safety team at Kent County Council that recommends children aren't allowed unrestricted access to social media platforms. A recent survey showed that around 60% of children were allowed to use unsupervised devices in bedrooms. This is one of the riskier situations to allow!

Our children are likely to be more confident and capable with technology than us but please remember that what they gain in capability they lose on maturity and ability to recognise and manage dangers and inappropriate behaviours.

We teach about staying safe online but ask for you to check with your children about their device usage and in particular about communications with others. Our key points for keeping safe are:

Check your privacy settings!

Only have contact with people you know in the 'real world'.

Never arrange to meet someone from an online contact.

Only write messages or post pictures or videos that you'd be happy for your mum to see!

Tell an adult about anything you see or read that you're not comfortable with.

We highly recommend making use of the 'netaware' resource which details ages for different apps as well as risk from bullying, suicide, violence, sexual exploitation and drink, drugs & crime. The app can be downloaded to phones and tablets and if shared with your children can be a great way in to talking about whether an app is appropriate to use or not. Parents have the right to restrict usage of apps but sometimes feel under the pressure of 'but everyone else uses it' to allow things that they may not be 100% comfortable with. If you don't like it - don't let your children have it! If you're happy for them to access something then think about how you are safeguarding them from any risk.

The 'netaware app' can be downloaded by clicking the following icon.